LEONARD WILLIAM CLAMPETT, DownUnder Dowser

[KRAMER]

The Chief Executive Officer
Dear Sir/Madam,

I readily accept your challenge to demonstrate my extraordinary power in accordance with your website.

I am able to confirm that I am able to find pipes, drains, cables, large tree roots, metal objects including coin money, and water/liquid, among other things, under the ground using two dowsing rods made from brazing rod, among other things.

I am very much aware that you would not like to part with your US$1,000,000
and will do everything in your power to keep it. Having said that I am happy to abide by the conditions which prevent falsification by either myself, as the challenge/claimant, or yourselves as the offerers, and wish to consult and work with you to lay down the criterion for the ultimate test.

I will supply a number of my own witness and will be requiring the media to attend to record everything as impartial witnesses.

Please respond as soon as you are able so we may arrange a mutually convenient time to confer.

Yours Faithfully,

Leonard William Clampett

 

[KRAMER]

Dear Mr. Clampett,

Thank you for submitting an application for the JREF Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge.

Firstly, please allow me to correct the assumptions you put forth in your letter which do not align with the actual facts. You seem to be implying that the JREF will put its efforts toward cheating you out of any prize monies you may be deserving of. That is contrary to the truth. The JREF itself does not even take part in the actual testing procedure, except as observers. We do not interact with the testing materials in any way, so your implications are wholly without merit, and contrary to the spirit of the Challenge. We ask that from this point forward you kindly keep any such apprehensions and thinly veiled accusations of fraud to yourself.

Secondly, regarding your claim, you have not followed the Challenge rules. We ask that applicants put forth a specific claim, and you have submitted a generalized one in which you claim to possess the ability to dowse for any number of things. The preliminary test, should it take place, must be confined to a demonstration of your ability to dowse for one material.

The first thing you need to do now is to chose which property you are most successful at dowsing for. We suggest you chose something other than tree roots.

The next thing you need to do is address another Challenge rule you chose to ignore, that being the submission of a test protocol proposal. It is the responsibility of the applicant to propose a test that will verify his/her claim.

In that proposal you must concisely describe the following three things:

A- HOW YOU WILL DEMONSTRATE YOUR CLAIM;

B- UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS/CIRCUMSTANCES THE DEMONSTRATION WILL TAKE PLACE;

C- WHAT DEGREE OF ACCURACY YOU CLAIM TO ACHIEVE (or rather, what you propose will constitute a successful demonstration).

Once we have these things from you, we can then proceed.

Please be advised that although you may bring as many witnesses and media representatives as you like to the test, the JREF will not cater to any "requirement" you put forth regarding the attendance of the media. Should you chose to refuse to be tested if the media is not present, your application will be rejected.

All Challenge tests are videotaped by our representatives (most likely the Australian Skeptics, in this case), and you may have your witnesses videotape the test, as well.

All subsequent negotiations will take place via email. The "time & place to confer" will be at your convenience, anytime at all, over the internet. The preliminary test, should it occur, will take place at a location as convenient to you as possible.

You may also wish to note that I am not a CEO. I sit at the Challenge Desk here at the JREF, and I serve at the pleasure of James Randi, who will sign and return your application to you once a test protocol has been mutually agreed upon, and a date and location for the preliminary test have been determined.

I look forward to receiving your revised claim letter and test protocol proposal. Upon its receipt, a decision will be made on the acceptance/rejection of your application.

All Best,

Kramer
JREF Paranormal Challenge Desk

 

[KRAMER]

Dear Kramer,

A revised claim letter and test protocol proposal is on its way.

Leonard Clampett

 

[KRAMER]

Dear Sir,

I readily accept your Challenge to demonstrate my extraordinary power in accordance with your website pages.

I claim I can locate legal tender coins buried in the ground at a length of up to 12 inches.

I will demonstrate my claim to locate ten (10) Australian legal tender coins of $2 value buried at varying locations in the ground in a given area.

This will be done in a given area which I will dowse prior to the demonstration to ensure that there are no materials already buried in the chosen area.

I will find all ten coins buried.

Yours Faithfully,

L. W. Clampett

==========================================================

Dear Mr. Clampett,

Thank you for your reply.

We need to know more about the conditions under which this demonstration will be given. Most importantly, we now ask you HOW you will "dowse". Will you be using a common dowsing stick, or an electronic device of some type?

Please be advised that if you are utilizing a device, we will require that you allow us to inspect it prior to the preliminary test. We assume that you understand that locating buried coins with a metal detector is NOT a paranormal claim, and cannot be accepted for the JREF Paranormal Challenge.

I look forward to your reply. Please respond via email. There is no need to send any further letters via post from Australia. Email will expedite matters.

 

[KRAMER]

The Sounds of Silence

Dear Mr. Clampett,

It has been 4 weeks since I emailed you regarding your JREF Paranormal Challenge application. In the event that the matter has slipped your mind, allow me to remind you that I had requested a more detailed description of the conditions of your proposed test, along with a request for information about your dowsing device. I received no reply.

Is it your intention to withdraw your Challenge application at this time?

Please advise.